


Meet Cute

by TooLateToFall



Series: Space Parents [1]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alec Ryder is a dork, Drabble, F/M, First Meeting, Meet-Cute, No Spoilers, Pre-Andromeda, Ryder parents - Freeform, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-07 22:50:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11068719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooLateToFall/pseuds/TooLateToFall
Summary: Alec Ryder meets Ellen Harlow for the first time.Set early 2150s, no spoilers.





	Meet Cute

The first thing he falls for is her laugh. He hears it, clear and loud and perfect about the throbbing bass of the club, and he can’t help but search for her in the crowd. He needs to hear her laugh again, to be responsible for that sound. 

 And when he finally does find her… it’s not love at first sight, but it’s pretty damn close.

 "Are you going to talk to her?“ Taunts one of his squad mates, Derek Reilly, following his gaze. That’s when Alec realizes he’s been staring. "Cmon Ryder, break out the charm." 

 He’s not sure that that’s really a thing he possesses; the teasing look on Reilly’s face tells him that Reilly doesn’t think so either. He glances from Reilly, back to the woman, then down at the half-finished beer in front of him. "I think she’s with someone.” Well, a group, but there’s a guy with them clearly vying for her attention. 

 "That guy?“ Reilly snorts. "I bet _he_ didn’t go through the Charon relay. And he’s no _N7_ either.” Technically they weren’t yet either, but that was beside the point. “C'mon Ryder, you can take ‘im." 

 As Alec continues to flounder another one of his squad mates, Chandra Morgan, lets out a loud bark of laughter. "If you don’t go for her, Ryder, _I_ will. She’s cute.” She’s not kidding and he knows it, so he pushes himself to his feet with a put-upon sigh. 

When he glances back at the woman, her eyes meet his and she smiles, before her gaze dances away. That smile is the second thing he falls for, and it’s that smile seals their fate. 

 Mercifully, she’s left the dance floor in favor of the bar, just a few yards from his own group. This means instead of pushing through the crowded dance floor, he just has to weave around the small clusters of clubgoers lingering at the bar. 

 Unfortunately, this also means he has less time to figure out what to say- not that this really matters. As soon as Alec’s in front of her, and her eyes find his, all thoughts, all words, vanish. His mouth is open but nothing comes out. He wonders if it’s possible to die of embarrassment. 

 And then she speaks, and God help him, the third thing he falls for is her voice, her perfect, teasing lilt.

 "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to buy me a drink?" 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. ^-^ I appreciate any and all comments and feedback. If you have criticism or noticed somewhere I can improve, my tumblr UN is TooLateToFall; I'm really trying to improve my writing this summer, so don't hesitate to message me. :3


End file.
